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As a reporter, sometimes it is a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Saturday was one of those moments. While enroute to a local establishment for lunch, there was a large gathering of emergency responders on the west side of US61 that could not have been missed. A dozen or so fire trucks and a large gathering of about 50 fire fighters surrounding the old Meyers house. A house that is not large enough to require that large of a fire crew presence under normal circumstances.

Sorry kid, lunch is gonna be delayed. Upon arriving, City Council Member Justen Olsen and Mayor Myron Bailey were standing off to the side observing the goings on like it was no big deal. They explain that it was, indeed a very big deal, but it was not an emergency, it was planned training. Council Member Olsen grabbed Chief Rick Redenius to explain the training. “This is our fifth burn in our series of house burns we’ve been doing this summer. On this particular structure, we’ve assisted the State Fire Marshal’s office with holding a fire investigations class. So they did investigations one and two in this class where they set up arson burns. The class had to investigate those to come up with their determination submit their reports. Then we are able to now, burn it down in our training for our scenarios, unrelated to the State Fire Marshal’s office now,” stated Chief Redenius.

Along with the training from the State Fire Marshal and the training for the local fire fighters, Redenius explained a new certification that is a first in the state. “During the winter we had 10 staff that went through a live fire instructor course, and part of their certifications as a live fire instructor is you have to pass certification burn with the state. So, the state has sent, members of the certification board here. And now, they’ll go in with each one of the instructors to make sure that they’re doing what they need to do to get them certified to be live burn instructors. So, this is a big day. We’re like the first in the state to be doing this as well. This is a new program that the state initiated. We’re the first, as far as we’re aware, the first fire department that’s being certified by have level one burn instructors that are being overseen by members of the certification boards.”

The plan for the day was to have 11 or 12 total burns where different groups of firefighters can enter the house and see how a fire reacts in each room. For some new members of the crews, they see one live fire and that’s it before earning their fire fighter certificate, so live training in a semi-controlled environment is key to keeping everyone safe. Semi-controlled is a key phrase for this. They get to go in, inspect the house, see everything as it is before each fire is started, they know the gas and electric are off, they have predetermined escape routes if something were to go wrong and there is 30+ additional firefighters outside ready to back them up if it goes really wrong.

If a retreat is called for what ever reason, there is a person outside, at the door to account for every member of that group. If one leaves, they all leave.

Seeing the number of trucks and fire fighters at the training site begged the question to be asked, what happens if there is a true fire emergency somewhere in Cottage Grove?

Chief explained, “Well, not everyone would leave. We have a designated crew; our ladder truck is over in the parking lot there with Newport’s engine. So, that crew would respond, and then we also have mutual aid with St. Paul Park and Newport firefighters that aren’t here and Woodbury. We are well covered.”

If something large happened and it required everyone to respond, they could be out of the training area in a heartbeat. They could end it and go and respond as fast as if they were at the firehouse.

Why do they do live burns and destroy houses? Because you can only simulate so much. Of course, they simulate nearly every aspect of a live fire, but the in-person live training is invaluable. This house was purchased by the city so that they could expand commercial properties along West Point Douglas Road. It could have simply been torn down but that creates a lot of waste. This way, the crews get valuable training and, in the end, the house gets turned to ashes, making clean up a little easier.

The house will burn into the basement area and then be allowed to cool for a few days. Once cooled, it gets filled in with dirt to keep the ground safe if someone were to randomly walk by.

Chief Redenius offered up some tips for the remainder of the summer. “Right now, there’s no burning restrictions in Washington County or specifically Cottage Grove, but what we always advocate if you’re gonna have your bonfire, which is perfectly legal, whether it’s in the ground or on those portables, have a water source right next to you. Have a garden hose stretch to that spot in case a piece of wood pops and cracks and send sparks out. If you have grass in the area and you get a small grass fire, you can put it out right away. At the end of the night, you can make sure your fires out with your hose and make sure you just don’t leave it.”

Another tip for the backyard bonfires is to hose the grass down a little around the area before you start the fire. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, or in this case, only you can prevent backyard fires.

A group of fire fighters prepare to enter the training home for round eight of the training and certification day. Photo by Bruce Karnick